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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 731 |
| 1884 | 393 |
| 1885 | 837 |
| 1886 | 483 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,058 stories
- The Rule of Law in the Face of Mob Violence
In 1885, a Seattle judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a grand jury and the public, condemning anti-Chinese conspiracy and defending the right of all laborers—regardless of race or origin—to equal protection under the law.
- The Trial of the 'Squak Valley' Vigilantes
In a tense courtroom session in 1885, a defendant stands trial for the murder of a Chinese laborer, exposing the brutal reality of anti-immigrant violence in Washington Territory.
- The Expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese Residents
A celebratory procession and public speeches in Tacoma mark the return of twenty-seven men indicted for the forced removal of the city's Chinese population.
- The Governor’s Tightrope Walk During the Anti-Chinese Riots
How local officials navigated the tense atmosphere in Seattle before the arrival of federal troops in 1885.
- The Smallholder’s Victory Against the Railroad Giant
In a landmark 1883 ruling, the General Land Office denied the Northern Pacific Railroad's claim to homestead land within Tacoma, protecting a local settler's right to his property.
- The Violent Expulsion of Chinese Workers from Tacoma
While Seattle officials debated the law, a vigilante mob in Tacoma took matters into their own hands, forcibly ejecting Chinese residents from the city.
- 1885 Editorial Urges Chinese Exclusion in Washington Territory
A committee of Seattle citizens formalizes their campaign to purge the city of Chinese laborers, framing their economic anxiety as a struggle for the 'Caucasian race.'
- Federal Troops Sent to Seattle to Quell Anti-Chinese Violence
President Grover Cleveland’s 1885 message to Congress highlights the deployment of federal troops to Seattle and Wyoming to protect Chinese laborers from mob violence.
- Midnight Panic at the St. Cloud
A spectacular five-story blaze in downtown Seattle forces guests to flee in their nightclothes, leaving a landmark hotel in ruins.
- The Politics of Exclusion: A Night at the Bijou
In 1886, a raucous meeting at Seattle’s Bijou theater formalized the 'Committee of Fifteen,' marking a volatile era of organized expulsion and nativist labor politics.
- Under the Provost Marshal: Seattle’s Martial Law
When the city was placed under military rule during the anti-Chinese riots of 1886, residents faced a new, forced reality of curfews, passes, and armed sentries on every corner.
- The Riot of 1886: Seattle’s Dark Chapter of Exclusion
A state-sanctioned mob forces Chinese residents from their homes, leading to martial law and a bloody confrontation at the wharf.
- The Seattle Militia Stands at the Edge of Chaos
Amid the anti-Chinese riots of 1886, a citizen militia maintains order against mob rule, setting a precedent for territorial authority.
- The Siege of Seattle: When Martial Law Came to the Waterfront
As anti-Chinese riots gripped Seattle in February 1886, Governor Watson Squire declared martial law, bringing in federal troops to suppress the violence and restore order at the docks.
- The Last Train out of Carbonado
After miners descended on the coal camp to forcibly expel Chinese laborers, a group of workers recounted the indignity of their forced departure.
- The Seattle Press Defends its Role During the Anti-Chinese Riots
An editorial response to outside critics claiming local newspapers incited the February 7th expulsion violence.
- The 1886 Pact to Purge Chinese Laborers from Seattle Canneries
Newly unearthed documentation reveals a formal agreement between cannery owners and the Knights of Labor to replace all Chinese workers with white employees by September 1886.
- Vigilante Raids Target Chinese Vegetable Gardens
Armed men terrorize Chinese laborers in outskirts of Seattle, burning property and driving families from their homes.
- The Iron Foundry vs. The Anti-Chinese Movement
A vigilante mob of Seattle ironworkers forces the departure of Chinese laborers on a steamer to San Francisco.
- The Martial Law Panic of 1886
As armed vigilantes patrolled Seattle, labor leaders turned to the President of the United States to stop a coup by force.
- The Bay View Massacre: A Bloody End to the Labor Strike
A violent confrontation between striking freight handlers and authorities in Bay View leaves six dead and several wounded, marking a grim escalation in regional labor unrest.
- The Riot and the 'Queen City'
Mayor Henry Yesler recounts the dark days of the 1886 anti-Chinese riots and the subsequent rise of the 'Home Guards' in Seattle.
- The Riot-Scarred Streets of 1886
A critical look at the Seattle City Council’s tepid handling of the anti-Chinese riots, as the city struggles with the legacy of mob violence.
- The Fallout of the Anti-Chinese Expulsions
A witness recounts the inhumane treatment of Chinese merchants who were brought back to Tacoma to testify after being violently displaced.
- The Day Seattle’s Women Lost the Vote
When the Territorial Supreme Court struck down women’s suffrage in 1887, the city’s lawyers, politicians, and citizens scrambled to interpret the fallout of a ruling that suddenly stripped thousands of their hard-won rights.